How to catch a liar (it's harder than you think)

How to catch a liar (it's harder than you think)

From All In The Mind by ABC Australia

May 29, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

The episode explores the complexities of lie detection and the misconceptions surrounding it.

Rebecca figured out a brilliant way to catch her partner in a lie. It led to a career in forensic psychology… These days, Rebecca studies lie detection, and it turns out, people generally overestimate their ability to tell fact from fiction. All the classic clues — body language, eye contact, acting nervous … they don't really hold up when put to the test. In our fourth and final part of our special series, Forensic , we're discovering the truth about lie detection. Are there any giveaways that someone is lying to us? Can lying show up on a brain scan? If you've enjoyed Forensic, please leave us a review or share the show with a friend. And don't forget to send us your questions based on the series, you can reach us at allinthemind@abc.net.au Guests: Dr Rebecca WilcoxsonLecturer in Forensic and Social Psychology, CQ University Dr Arthur LeeAssistant Professor, Boston University Credits: Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar Senior producer: James Bullen Producer: Rose Kerr Sound engineer: Roi Huberman You can catch up on more episodes of the All in the Mind podcast with journalist and presenter Sana Qadar, exploring the psychology of topics like stress, memory, communication and…

People in this episode

Host: Sana Qadar

Guests: Rebecca Wilcoxson, Arthur Lee

Topics covered

  • lie detection
  • forensic psychology
  • body language
  • truth
  • deception
  • psychology

Keywords

  • lie detection
  • forensic psychology
  • body language
  • deception
  • truth

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CQ University, Boston University, ABC Australia

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